With a Stanley Cup and Olympic Silver to his name, Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke has had a bit of success assembling hockey teams. He still hasn't won in the KHL—wait, who cares?
As the roster of the Leafs has seen dramatic changes in each season since the lockout, it's a fair question to ask, "When the Hell are some of these pieces going to come together?"
Three different coaches, two different GMs and an interim, four, maybe five, starting goalies, two captains (and a slew of alternates), and summer after summer of chasing aged, free agent busts.
However, something seems to be different under Burke; there is a core emerging.
After Monster-hunting in Scandanavia, Burke nabbed the best goalie outside of the NHL (sorry Robert Esche, your KHL accolades have been purposely overlooked). It also helps when you have a goalie with a ton of upside, like Jonas Gustavsson, that you hire the staff you need in order to help him reach his potential.
Enter goaltending guru Francois Allaire, under whose tutelage some guy named Patrick Roy had a good season here and there.
Another one of Allaire's ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Derek Scarlino
The Next Step: Brian Burke’s Makeover of Toronto Maple Leafs Continues
June 24th, 2010 by Derek Scarlino Leave a reply »
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